Girl’s volleyball team maintain one game advantage after two-game losing streak.

By Rafal Symanski

The Mount Allison girls volleyball team defeated UNBSJ on Friday, February 12, 2010.  The gym was filled with screaming, horn-blowing, and the occasional tambourine.  Both teams brought their “A-game” and from the start a huge crowd supporting the Seawolves cheered on.

The first set was a nail-biter, always within two points of one another.

Seawolves took the first set by a score of 25-19.

The second set went very differently, where control and patient gain were the winning combination, our team fell behind quickly.  A brief timeout called by the coach of the UNBSJ Seawolves did wonders for the team.

As soon as the game was resumed, a change was visible.  It must have been something the coach had told his team that brought the players’ focus back on the game.

After having been down by 9 points at one point, the students fought back to being within two points.  Their efforts, alas, were not enough to finish the comeback and the second set went to Mount Allison.  The score was 21-25.

The third set was very similar to the second, with one exception: our team was the one to jump to the initial lead.  And just like their rivals, UNBSJ did not relinquish their lead.  They took the lead and fought to preserve it.

Preserving the lead was no small feat. Katie McKewon, wearing the number 11, dramatically dove backwards with one arm stretched out to keep the ball alive.

Putting their bodies on the line in order to win was a non-issue with either team.  Whether the player succeeded or not, it did not diminish their resolve to make the impossible play a successful reality.

Alexandra Hooper, wearing number 13, was extremely proficient in both attack and defense, her blocking make it very hard for the opposition to score.

The third set ended with Alexandra Hooper emphatically slamming the ball into an unsuspecting Mount Allison player, leaving them wondering what had hit them.  Going into the fourth set, UNBSJ looked like a team on the verge of taking down their biggest competition.

Although it was a close set, the fourth one went to Mount Allison by a score of 21-25.  The match would be decided by the tie breaking set.  Playing a fifth set in ACAA volleyball meant that the first team to reach 15 points, with a minimum two-point lead, would win.  The team that won the fifth set would also win the match.

Once again, our team jumped into the lead, but Mount Allison quickly tied it up with all to play for tied at 10 points each.  This time, the Mount Allison coach used his timeout to give the players a break.  As with UNBSJ’s timeout earlier in the match, this one did wonders for Mount Allison.  They came back aggressive and hungry to win.

In the fight for a crucial point in the last set, Megan Fitzpatrick, wearing the number 10 jersey, made three, what seemed like impossible, digs in order to win the point and stay alive.  But it was not to be.  Soon after, a defensive blunder by a Seawolf saw the game fall just outside of reach.

The game ended with a final score of 15-13 in the tie-break in favor of Mount Allison.  The UNBSJ volleyball team played host to division rivals Mount Allison and lost by the closest of margins.  The match lasted over two hours. The crowd was graced with great entertainment and a very high level of competitive volleyball.

Playing against the team trying to catch you in the standings was no easy feat.  Mount Allison is currently second in the 2009/2010 standings.  UNBSJ, at the top of the table, sporting a dashing 14-3 record, must now step up their game.

With a two game losing streak, what seemed like a clear lead at the top of the table has diminished into a one game advantage.

Their next opponent will be third place Mount St. Vincent University, currently in third place.  UNBSJ is capable of beating any team in the league.  They have demonstrated their talents throughout the duration of this season.  Their record speaks for itself.  UNBSJ truly does have talent.  The community knows this, and will continue to support their team.  Go! Seawolves Go!

Rafal Symanski is a Baron Staff writer.

MALE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK:  ALEC MACKINNON, BASKETBALL

This week’s Aramark Male Athlete of the week BA Student Alec MacKinnon.  The first year Pictou native is without a doubt one of the hardest working players for the Seawolves in a game or at practice.  Alec’s play on the weekend against CU and MSVU was strong as he held one of the highest shooting percentages from the field. “Having a player like Alec come off the bench allows us to have confidence when resting our starters because we know the game is still in good hands when he is on the floor” said Coach Steve LeBlanc. “He has been a great addition to the team and he will be a player to look out for as the years go on”.

FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: ERIN SPROUL, BASKETBALL

This week’s Aramark Female Athlete of the week is BN student Erin Sproul.  This is the Saint John native’s fourth year with the Seawolves as a guard.  Erin has continued to work hard on her game during practice and it has not gone unnoticed by the coaches.   Her shooting has continued to improve over the past three weeks averaging 11 points in this past weekend’s matches against CU and MSVU.  “We needed someone to step up due to an illness on the team and Erin was up for the task” explains Coach Kevin Munroe.  “Her defense was tenacious, she scored well in both games and she is demonstrating great leadership in her final year with the team”.

Could everybody’s favourite gun-loving, hockey mom/governor from Alaska become President in the future? Is the Rambo-wannabe capable to live up to the expectations it entails? At the very least, it would be a very interesting plot for a biographical film!

By Jonathan Bruce

2008 was an important for both Democrats and Republicans in the United States of America last year. It would be George W. Bush’s last year as President, but it was also the year that then-Senator Barack Obama announced his candidacy for the White House. In addition, Senator John McCain revealed his running mate would be little-known Alaskan governor Sarah Palin.

Criticism and questions surfaced as McCain’s choice was announced, because Palin was not well known outside of Alaska and the American Northwest. She was already known for the Gravina Island Bridge project, which spent more than $20 million in federal funding before being cancelled. To add insult to injury, she changed her “pro-bridge stance”, which upset fellow Alaskan government members. Then, a series of revelations came to surface that sparked controversy- Palin holding off on giving birth to her son Trig until she got into an Alaskan delivery room, her teenage daughter Bristol was pregnant, etc.

Pro-life and disability groups have praised Palin for her open stance on the rights for the handicapped, but others have criticized her for frequently using the topic of Trig and bringing him to political rallies as a “sympathy card.” Various political journalists questioned her ability to act as Vice-President and a mother. John Roberts noted that “Children with Down’s syndrome require an awful lot of attention. The role of vice president, it seems to me, would take up an awful lot of her time, and it raises the issue of how much time will she have to dedicate to her newborn child?”

Yes, she has her husband Todd look after their children, but the question of her being up to the multi-tasking responsibilities of government and motherhood is debatable.

In an interview, Matt Damon summed up the image that Palin presents to America (and to an extent, the world): “It’s like a really bad Disney movie. The hockey mom, you know, ‘Oh, I’m just a hockey mom… and she’s facing down President Putin… It’s totally absurd… it’s a really terrifying possibility. I need to know if she really thinks that dinosaurs were here 4,000 years ago. I want to know that, I really do. Because she’s gonna have the nuclear codes.” It also brings to mind the fact that the 71-year old McCain is advanced in his age. Suppose he did win the Presidency and pass away, it would be President Palin in his place.

Palin is somewhat outspoken in regards to Obama’s plans for the Affordable Health Choices Act. On her Facebook page, she declared Obama’s “death panel” to be a life-threatening to her son and other disabled Americans. Pure over-the-top melodrama. Not only was the remark absurd and inappropriate in the words it used, it was also greatly inaccurate on several counts. In addition, she threatened to sue any media outlet that printed any material she considered to be slander on her or her family.

Aside from the pregnant daughter controversy, Palin does not have a good record in fulfilling her commitments. Less than a year after the Presidential election, she held a press conference at her residence in August 2009 to reveal that she was stepping down as Governor of Alaska. What was the reason? In her own words, it was due to her desire not to “hunker down and go with the flow”.

The people want a Presidential candidate that can make good on his or her promises, but could Palin pull through as President and not give up for it being “too hard” ? Currently, she is making the rounds of the political circuit and promoting her new memoir “Going Rogue” on talk shows around America. In the book, she blasts McCain and his people for sticking her with the wardrobe bill and leaving her to be attacked by critics. Essentially, the memoir appears to be a complaint about McCain.

Aside from the predicted end-of-the-world scenario taking place, the only real negative thing we have to look forward to in 2012 is the possibility that Sarah Palin could run for the Presidency. If they do a movie about her life, I just hope that someone like Tina Fey of 30 Rock is cast as her.

Jonathan Bruce is a volunteer columnist with the Baron.

Advice columnist Delsie Burke takes you through the steps of finding your own apartment

The school year is quickly coming to a close and many of us will be moving out of dorm or relocating to different cities. No matter what situation you are in the time is going to come where you need to find a place to live. It can be a big decision, this will be the place where you will spend most of your down time; it is going to be the place that you will call home.

The first step in choosing an apartment is deciding where you want to live. This may sound like an obvious statement but some people don’t realize how crucial the area of the city you are living in is to your total living experience. Choosing in an apartment in a city that you a familiar with is also drastically different from choosing in a city that you don’t know.

If you are going to be living in a familiar city the first and easiest place to begin is with Kijiji.com. Kijiji is a wonderful website that most of us are familiar with, but if you’re not, get familiar! Kijiji allows you to search the area you plan to live in for available apartments and it commonly lists by price and location. You can also narrow your searches to particular streets. Another great tool to use is local newspaper listings which sometimes contain that aren’t even offered in Kijiji.

Criteria for choosing apartment ads differs from person to person but in my opinion it is a good idea to focus you’re attention to ads that include heat, hot water and electricity because having these items included with your rent will essentially reduce you’re stress level so you don’t have to constantly keep track of how much heat or electricity you are using.

Contact the landlords and arrange a showing, if you run into the problem of the landlords not having that particular apartment available then ask if they have apartments available somewhere else in the city. Some landlords know that apartments will be vacated soon but don’t list until the tenants leave, this way you can jump the gun and get that apartment before you have competition.

Again, people have drastically different criteria when viewing apartments. In general, try and look for the best quality for the price you are paying. By quality, I don’t only mean flooring and walls (although this is very important), also consider size and appliances. A large, less aesthetically pleasing apartment might be much more valuable to someone who likes space than a smaller apartment. Most places have your standard, pre-existing appliances (fridge and stove) and remember to consider the quality of these appliances and how often you might have to have them fixed.

One of the most important things for a potential buyer to consider is the location of the building. Try and pick a place that has access to good bus service, even if you do have a car there may be times that you will need to take the bus. Also, consider a place that has a grocery store nearby, if this is not possible than make sure that there is at least a corner store nearby, in case you need something. If you are going to be working or going to school you might want to consider areas of the city that are nearby your work place, what is considered ‘nearby’ is really up to yourself and whether you want to walk to work/school everyday or drive.

Finding an apartment in a completely new city is a different story altogether. The first thing you need to do is begin by doing a general search of the city you intend to be in on Google maps. If you are going to be going to university, do a general search for the university area. Make a list of all the streets surrounding the area, only as far away from the school as you want to be. Next, go to the Kijiji page for that city and narrow your search results based on the list of streets that you made. This will narrow your apartment search and prevent you from getting too attached to an apartment that could potentially be on the other side of the city.

After you have found some apartments that you are interested in begin making viewing appointments with the landlords. Make sure to tell them that you live in another city/province, you should find that many of them will be sympathetic to your situation. They can also give you a good idea of what stores/ buildings are in the area. I can’t stress enough, DON’T try and sign a lease for an apartment without having seen the apartment or area before, you just can’t get a good idea of an apartment by a written description or a testimonial from a friend. This will be you’re home after all, and you need to make that extra effort.

You are going to have to take a few days and visit the city, try and schedule you’re appointments within a three or four day period so you can view them all at once. Take your time making the decision but don’t go home in the meantime, make your decision while you are in the city. The landlord is going to want you to sign forms and make arrangements for moving in, being in the same city as them will make the process easier for both of you.

Apartment hunting is a very nerve wracking and exciting process and after seeing a few dives you might want to just throw your hands into the air and give up. Don’t give up too quickly, your dream apartment is out there, it’s just going to take a bit of digging to find. Best of luck and happy hunting!

Delsie Burke is a volunteer writer with the Baron.

The Book of Eli is this year’s The Postman, says the Baron’s movie critic.
By Jonathan Simmons

In the Hughes Brothers’ first film since From Hell, Denzel Washington plays Eli, an archetypal lone warrior who is introduced to us while wandering a post-apocalyptic landscape. This is how a lot of post-apocalyptic films start, and it’s what I imagine when I think about the genre, even when a film slightly diverges from this path, such as in The Quiet Earth (1985) or A Boy and His Dog (1975).

A more recent post-apocalyptic film that you might have avoided is The Postman (1997), which featured Kevin Costner as director and lead. In it, he plays a wanderer not unlike Eli, though he’s more social, exchanging performances of Shakespeare for food and lodging.
Both The Book of Eli and The Postman are supposed to be about bringing something important back to humanity. In The Postman, that something is the mail, which symbolizes hope, order, and the values of a dead nation. In The Book of Eli, that something is the King James Bible, which symbolizes, well, the Bible. There isn’t much talk of religion or theology; it’s mainly about the book and Eli’s drive to keep it safe until he can get it where it will be needed.

Eli makes the mistake of entering a town, where he meets his antagonist, Carnegie, played by a scenery chewing Gary Oldman. Carnegie wants the Bible because it will help him maintain and expand his power. Eli won’t give it to him. In a way, this also parallels what happens in The Postman, in that the Postman is pursued, not for what he carries, but for what he represents.
The Postman inspires those that he comes across, challenging the tenuous rule of General Bethlehem. Eli doesn’t threaten Carnegie, and has no interest in inspiring humanity or leading a revolution. He simply wants to deliver his book and people keep getting in this way. The exception to this is Solar, played by Mila Kunis, who follows Eli like a lost puppy.
The Postman is not a good film, in that it begins with an absurd premise and never really sells us on it. Kevin Costner can take some of the blame for this, but I actually think he elevates the film above its horrible screenplay. Maybe if Kevin Costner directed The Book of Eli, I’d be more pleased with the result, though that seems unlikely. What other reviewer would suggest such a thing?
I’m only partially joking. Say what you will about Kevin Costner, but the man has a feel for the Western, and while he tends on occasion towards cloyingly sweet, he never fails to supply us with some sort of emotional content, whether it’s found in interpersonal relationships or in a particularly well framed shot of a mountain range.
The Hughes Brothers are almost unequalled in their ability to construct an image that is both captivating and alien at the same time. In the case of The Book of Eli, you’re compelled to stare at the screen in wonder, but that only lasts for a moment as it quickly dawns on you that while everything is artfully constructed, every bit of dirt and grime put there by a brush or the nimble fingers of a craftsperson, it is a dead thing, not unlike a corpse after it’s been to the embalmer.
Eli is not a character, at least not in the traditional sense of the word. He’s a force of nature: for all intents and purposes invincible. And he cuts through his enemies who are little more than deranged savages with ease and precision. There are moments when we see a glimpse of a human being beneath the dark glasses and grim demeanour, but these are fleeting, and more often than not, tied to the rituals of his life, such as hygiene and prayer.
Our pleasure as an audience is reserved for the villain, who, despite Gary Oldman’s best efforts, is unimportant—a mere obstacle. Mila Kunis might have endeared us to Solar, becoming the Cub to Eli’s Lone Wolf, but she comes across as more of a plot device than someone we can empathize with. She should serve as our window into a harsh landscape, but she sits apart from it, naively going about her toils, accepting of her fate as chattel without the requisite emotional scars.
There is one area which The Book of Eli could excel at and that is violence. There is a pleasure to be had in seeing stylized massacres, but it is a trivial kind of pleasure, devoid of that necessary anchor which is character. We neither care about the death dealer nor his unfortunate victims. It’s much like watching someone harshly poke a potato with a fork.
As an atheist I should reasonably be expected to despise this film and attack it, not only on matters of religion, but morality as well. Unfortunately, my apathy was established early on in my viewing experience, so the most offensive aspects of the film washed over me like white noise. Instead of seeing The Book of Eli, I recommend sitting down in a dark room with a Bible and putting on some Christian Metal; the experience will be much more rewarding.

Jonathan Simmons is the movie critic for the Baron. He also appears on the pop-culture radio show “From Tucker Park Road” on CFMH 107.3 FM every Tuesday at 3:00 pm.

Contestants continue to shine on UNBSJ’s talent show best night yet
By Rafal Szymański

On Tuesday, the public was given yet another opportunity to be wooed by the skills and talents of the students at the University of New Brunswick Saint John campus.

The third night of UNBSJ’s Got Talent saw the five semi-finalists sing  and play for the audience that came out to cheer on their favorite artists.

Having gotten the kinks out of the way in the first two shows, the third night got under way without a hitch.  The rest of the evening went smoothly and just when you got excited about the acts, the evening was over.

The fact that the show was over in less than an hour actually made the event more popular.  People were already talking about how they cannot wait for next week’s final.  It would not be surprising if the size of the crowd continued to increase.

The general trend was that as the show progressed, more people came.  The crowd was much larger this time around than in the first week.  It seemed as if each performer had brought their own personal fan-base present.

Different sections of the audience came to life with every performer.  The crowd was more animated than before and the artists performing on stage reacted with impassioned performances all around.

What is more, UNBSJ’s Got Talent had a guest performer at the beginning and end of the show.  Wearing shoes to match his guitar, Adam Lowry sang confidently and broke the ice for the competitors.

The first act was Kendra Breedveld and her sister, Zoe Nadj, singing a well practiced duet.  The judges were right in pointing out that the background music that was used overpowered their low volumed microphones.  They were told that in order to win the competition they “need to break out of [their] shells.”  The judges distinguished the strengths and weaknesses of both singers individually and in the end were impressed with the singers.

Next up was Thomas Vautour who walked out on stage with his guitar to once again blind us with his talent.  The crowd erupted in laughter when Thomas began to play the universally known and memorized Nintendo’s Mario theme.  It was well executed and kept the audience holding on the every well strung note.

The intricacy of his piece revealed talent, but only to those that themselves play the guitar.  This was because Thomas played for quite a while, without moving at all.  The poor stage presence left the audience disengaged.  The applause following his performance revealed exactly this.

The judges complemented Thomas on his finger-work saying that it was “the best performance throughout the competition.”

Third on the list was once again SRC’s very own Melissa Colwell performed “Alone” by Heart.

The song sounded like an attempt at broadway, or highschool musical.  The pop soundtrack took away from the true rock sound of the original.

And yet the performance was animated, the crowd sensed Melissa’s excitement, and got right behind her in support.  Her air guitar brought out laughs from the audience.  Melissa knew she had to attack the crowd, and she won them over with her effort.  Choosing a well known song was also key to her success.  The audience clapped along with Melissa’s singing for a large part of the song.

Yet the judges were critical.  Instead of commending her for great annunciation and for revealing “the most entertaining showmanship”, they attacked her for her own personal style.  Having asked her to do a piece that was not “show-tunes” the week before, they urged her to choose something different for the final.

To be fair to the judges, it must be said that her version of Heart’s “Alone” was indeed a bit popish, show-tunes style, lacking the raw energy the original band represented.

Jordan Kennedy was up next and he played the acoustic hit “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz.  Jordan was able to bare his soul to the crowd and showed his capacity for imitating other contemporary artists we listen to on the radio every day.

At one point, Jordan made a blunder by forgetting his words and instead of breaking under pressure and stopping the music, had the courage to change the song and make it his own.  This brought out laughter and support form the crowd.

The judges realized that Jordan was having fun and commented that he”really let [himself] go, [his] nerves didn’t take over.  But without fail, they were justified in saying that he needed to step up, “do [his] homework and blow [them] away next week.”

The Final artist was Patricia Harrity singing Lee Ann Womack’s “I Hope You Dance.” At the beginning of the song, the lyrics speak of leaving you empty handed, so did the beginning of Patricia’s performance.  It left the audience wondering, for just a second, and then it happened.

The song picked up tempo.  Patricia stood up from her stool and showed the audience the reason why she is still in the competition.  All she needed was a little bit of confidence, confidence she received from getting through the first few lines of the song.

The applause was loudest with Patricia’s performance and the judges felt it.  They told Patricia what she already knew, that she was “singing from the heart.”  Even though she missed a note, one judge complimented that her’s was his “favourite performance of the night.”

Nigel Wiles once again introduced Adam Lowry to perform for the crowd at the end of the night.  As the evening came to an end, it was great to hear an impassioned performance from the most confident artist of the night singing “Dream Dream Dream” by the classic Everly Brothers.

The show was a success.  Next week’s final will be even better, with a host of surprise artists waiting to entertain and raise the roof on Saint John High School.  UNBSJ has much to be thankful for and even more to be proud of: their students.

Rafal Szymański is a staff writer with the Baron.

Next year’s president will be one of fifteen positions on next year’s Student Representative Council to be acclaimed without election

By Simon Jack

UNBSJ Student Elections are over almost before they’ve begun.  Of the sixteen elected positions in student government at UNBSJ, fifteen had only one applicant – and thus have been automatically filled by acclamation.  The remaining position, that of Vice-President External, is being campaigned for by current VP Student Affairs Leah Richardson and current Arts Representative Isaiah Richards.  Voting will have commenced by the time this article is printed, and will end on February 24th.

SRC President-elect Anthony Enman graciously agreed to answer a few questions for the Baron regarding both his plans as President and the SRC elections in general:

Baron: Why did you run for SRC President?

Anthony Enman: Because of my interest in student government and my interest in the SRC as a company.  I have been an employee of the SRC for the past three years, and I’ve really gotten to see the good that comes out of being able to affect change and enhance the student experience.  Being president of the SRC is obviously one of the best ways to do that.

Baron: What changes would you like to effect and how would you like to enhance the student experience?

Enman:I feel the past couple of years have been positive ones for the SRC and I feel the presidents who have preceded me have done a really good job at keeping student interest at the forefront of the SRC’s operations, and I want to continue that by further opening the lines of communication between the SRC and the students.  Once the lines of communication are open, students will hopefully be better able to communicate their concerns to the SRC and the SRC be better able to communicate its actions to the students.

I’d also like to find ways to better enhance how we operate so that every student on campus can receive the best student experience while they’re here at UNB Saint John.  Again, I want to build upon what has come before.  A lot of great things have happened this year in terms of the student experience, and as a team we’ve really been able to improve upon some of the areas where we were lacking and enhance many of our strengths.  I want to continue working on that with the Social Director, the VP Student Affairs, and the rest of the team, to make sure that students continue to have a positive student experience.

Baron: How do you plan to effectively communicate the needs of the students to the university administration?

Enman: I believe that we have a responsibility to ensure that all students have a voice.  The needs of the students are the most important variable in terms of our operations. From my involvement in student government and various other groups on campus, I have been able to become acquainted and build relationships with the university administration. I believe that those relationships will translate into open lines of communication; so that myself and the rest of the SRC can do just what you are asking about, effectively communicate the needs of the students when they arise.

I also feel that there is an opportunity to have students become more involved at an institutional level, and in turn allowing them to voice their concerns directly. There are a number of committees that require or request student members, but when the committees meet sometimes do not accommodate student schedules. If there was one thing I would like to try and change, it would be to have the committees schedule their meetings around student schedules, creating more opportunity for students to become involved.

Baron: What are your thoughts on the poor nomination turnout?

Enman: I feel like there is a sense of disconnect between students and their student government. I don’t want to get into passing blame or pointing fingers on this issue, but I just feel that, over the years, interest in student government has really started to dip. This being said, I know that we can change this. It truly boils down to letting students know that we are here for them, when they need us and will to the best of our ability meet their needs, individually and as a whole.

Bridging this gap is something I am passionate about and would like to try and improve on. How we do that, I am not sure. I feel like it is a trial and error type thing and the result will ultimately be a mixture of ideas, programs and services being implemented to address the issue. However, the most important message that I want to reiterate is that we want to help students and make their experience the best it possibly can be. So if students have an idea, come see us about it because we are here for you.

Baron: What is your favorite monkey?

Enman: The majestic mandrill.

—

The following people have been acclaimed to various posts: Anthony Enman (President, Student Representative to Board of Governors, Senator), Melissa Colwell (VP Student Affairs, Senator), Vasoula Papadopoulos (Member-at-Large), Colin Rouse (Athletic Representative), Joshua Jackson (Social Representative), Rika Nason (Mature Student Representative), Bilal Tariq (International Representative), Colin Landers (Business Representative), Stephen Doucette (Science Representative), Caitlyn Carpenter (Science Representative), Nancy Vos (Arts Representative), Richard Seguin (Arts Representative).

Simon Jack is a Baron staff writer.

Fartun Bashir is a former Somali Refugee who now has permanent residency in Canada and is in the process of becoming a Canadian citizen. This is her story.

Written by Andre Rochon

Fartun Bashir is now attending course at the Saint John College with some course here at the university. She is set to be a full time student next semester. There is an upcoming election for the SRC and on the ballot the issue of a 5 dollar levy will be presented to the student population. Without your support we are unable to fund a student through the Student Refugee Program. It is thorough your generosity that we are able to do such an amazing thing. This is not only a WUSC success but a UNBSJ success. Please vote yes in this week’s election.

I am originally from Somalia. I fled the country with my family when I was 2 years old in 1992 due to civil war that start in the 1990’s. The city that my family fled to was Manbassa in Kenya. We stayed there for 4 years and went to a refugee camp on the other side of the city in 1996.

Life in the refugee camp was challenging. The people living in the camp experience a lot of problems within their life due to their experiences before they came to the camp. In the early part of the 90’s there were many security problems in the camp. Group of gangs would come to your house at night and attack you. But thanks to the government of Kenya and Non Governmental Organizations operating there, they made security tighter and made is a safer environment.

In the Refugee camp there are many different ethnic groups living there. The majority are Somalis, there are people from Ethiopia, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Sudan and even Yemen.

Apart from the harsh environment we receive the same education as the Kenyan’s and receive the same national examinations. This is good because when we do come to Canada we are able to understand the language here. In high school they teach us the United Kingdom curriculum with English as our Primary language and Swahili as our secondary (the language spoken in Kenya other than English). We also are required to take biology, chemistry, social studies, mathematics and we have a range of optional classes. I took history and Arabic.

After high school I tried to work hard because life was challenging in those countries. I did not like to stay there and I tried by best to get out of there. I was able to qualify for the WUSC (World University Services of Canada) scholarship that was being offered by acquiring high grades. I see this is a very good program and it is not given out to everyone. It is only given to students with good grades and a willingness to continue their studies. Within the whole country there might be 18 people who get out every year.

I was very happy when I received the scholarship. I had to take an English test and do a research paper, I wrote on “Refugee camp life and childhood education in the camps: what girls experience”. Afterwards I had to have a medical assessment which is done in partnership with WUSC by Window Trusts Kenya and the International Organization of Migration. The process is relatively easy for students but it takes time with the IOM, about six months of taking English courses before anything happens.

I really feel like one of the lucky ones. Out of three classes in high school there are a total of one hundred and twenty students. And only three receive scholarship. It is really hard going to another country without previous travel experience especially when you have to go through immigration. But when you come to Canada you become a landed immigrant and you receive a lot of consideration. You are able to get immigration status when you go to the United States or other places but you are really all on your own. You need to work and it becomes very difficult to get established and go to school if you want to.

With WUSC committee members they help us along which was really appreciate. I am the only Somali that I know in this city and sometimes you are really alone and face many problems by yourself. But with my committee I am very happy, I feel there are people who really love me like my mother and my family does. They really take care of me and call me all the time asking if I need anything. With them I do not fee like I have problems here in Canada. Canadians seem to be very helpful. In America they resettle refugees who have fled the country, but Canada is the only country that gives out scholarships to students to study in Canada. People who do not qualify for WUSC scholarships and who get good grades are still considered for scholarships for Kenyan universities and schools.

My Dream as child was to be a Human Rights worker for children. I wanted to do this because they used to punish us in school (Dugsi) if you came late. I used to cry a lot when I was punished. When you go somewhere to study you become a special person, and I wanted to put those people in jail that beat children. I wanted to stop the punishments that they gave out to students.

When I finished high school these people want to help you learn…now I want to become a lawyer or a journalist. Back in my old school they told me that Muslims cannot become lawyers. I want to work with the United Nation high commission for Refugees or an NGO. I want to help people who are in poverty, who are suffering with many problems and disadvantages in Refugee camps. There are Billions of people in so many countries that live in hunger. Most of these countries are in the Middle East, Asia and Africa, so maybe I can help those people.

My view of Canada at first was due to the working with people from Canada and the U.S through the NGO that I worked with at the Refugee camp. When you come here there are so many differences. There is total freedom here and you can do anything you like, back at the camp there are limits for everything.

There you may not find men doing house hold activities. At my family homestead I really liked it. You had the husband cooking everything one night while the wife goes out and takes the dog for a walk. It was not a shock but a huge relief when I arrived. Women want tasks shared and have equal parts in the household and here you can take a stand.

I am glad that I am here, my life has changed. WUSC has as a slogan: education will change the world. I came from a camp were there are many problems with insecurity to be here in a place where you have everything that you need with opportunity, education, health benefits, receiving permanent residency and will soon be able to travel anywhere with my citizenship. I am now starting to see myself as Canada as my home. Sponsored students really appreciate the WUSC committees and Canadian students for what they have done to take up all of our responsibilities to make it and easy transition for us and to make our dreams come true.

Andre Rochon is a volunteer writer with the Baron.

Baron writer Dana Miller offers her take on the public forum orchestrated by UNBSJ’s faculty of Arts to discuss the controversial decision by the Liberal Government to sell NB Power to Hydro Quebec.

“One way to silence the opposition” Dr. Yves Gagnon said ominously “is to keep them in the dark.”

Dr. Gagnon, Chair of Sustainable Development at l’Université de Moncton, was one of three key speakers on Monday, February 8^th, 2010, in the crowded Oland Hall classroom. The Faculty of Arts hosted an open forum at UNBSJ to discuss the proposed deal between Hydro Quebec (HQ) and New Brunswick Power. The forum allowed for key speakers to discuss aspects of the proposal made by the Shawn Graham government and allowed the public to express their opinions, concerns and reactions to the propositions they had heard.

The theme expressed by all the key speakers was that the HQ deal was not in the best interest of the population of New Brunswick and that it needed to be discussed and investigated further.

Gagnon talked in detail about how this issue had evolved over the past months, emphasizing his view that the deal seemed to not be in the interests of New Brunswick and that public consultation was severely lacking.

The current deal being considered, he explained, was not presented in a press conference, but had been leaked out to the general public.  Gagnon described it as a “nice story”, wherein the government later issued a brief summary of the deal, no official deal in writing was available.

This led to Gagnon asking the question, does the deal even exist, or “is a 3.2 billion dollar deal being processed without the proper documentation?”

The first deal made between NB power and HQ in October 2009, Gagnon explained, was also made without consulting the people of New Brunswick. The pitch was that the people of New Brunswick would see lower rates of electricity, share industrial rates with, eliminate the provincial debt, and allow NB to become self sufficient. In return, Hydro Québec would receive the assets that NB power had left – which includes power generation and distribution.  HQ would also receive the Point LePreau power plant, but only once it was fully operational again and it would receive the financial assets of it as well.

While the rates would be comparable to Québec and stable at first, they would rise after the first five years. HQ revenue would exponentially increase year after year -  “for infinity”, as the deal contract has no expiration.  Gagnon demonstrated that this deal would supremely benefit HQ.

Perhaps in response to public outcry, in January of this year there was another deal presented. Once again, the deal was formed without public. This version of the deal stated that New Brunswick would be fulfilling its energy demands by Hydro Québec, paying their rates for the first 5 years, and then be subjected to increases and decreases based on the NB consumer index.  Employees who work at NB power generation facilities would become employees of HQ, and since there is little documentation aside from a press release, the pension plan for these employees remains unclear.

Premier Graham has said that the deal is to be closed by March 31^st, 2010 and yet there have been no conditions set to debate the issue further in government.  The opposition have yet to see the details of the deals and argue their position.  Gagnon led to the conclusion that the government may just be covering up the truth about the deals.

Tom Mann presented the view from the protest groups, NB Power Not for Sale.  As a law alumnus of UNB, and having worked with the NB trade union programs and the labour unions, he spoke of why the citizens of NB should not be in accordance with the deals proposed by Graham.  He spoke of the measures being put into place to stop the sale of NB power to Québec, having 60% of New Brunswickers against the sale.  He also spoke of the goal of the coalition groups; to stop the sale of NB power.  Mann made it clear it would take more than just the coalition alone, saying that “No single one group can wage the challenge by themselves.  This is much bigger, much bigger than the individual parts”.

Mann, as part of the coalition has a mission, to prevent the sale of NB power from going through, and the coalition plans on doing this by coordinating forces and becoming united with others in town halls and forums like the one held on campus, to educate New Brunswickers on the issues hitting the table of public debate before government.  The deal has yet to be set in stone and finalized, and it is still possible to delay or stop the deal from going through.

“Pressure has to be put upon the politicians”, says Mann, because the government wants to take advantage of our apathy”.  The deal needs to be stopped so it can be discussed in due time.

Mann also says in order to prevent this deal from going through, the people of New Brunswick need to stay focused on what is at stake, because there are many solutions to this debate. Mann quoted Margaret Meed on this subject:  “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful people can change the world”.

And last to speak was UNBSJ history professor, Dr. Greg Marquis.  Dr. Marquis wrapped up the information session with a brief history of New Brunswick, in relation to where the province has been and the events it has been through.  He considers this deal with HQ and NB power to be the “7^th or 8^th biggest thing that has happened since 1867”.  Canada and NB have seen controversy, and nothing was ever settled and decided on so quickly and quietly, stressed Marquis.  Many major decisions have taken years to be decided; and nothing was ever “settled over night”.  Marquis said that he considers this “a very dark time in our history”.

Dana Miller is a volunteer writer with the Baron.

Name: Leah Richardson
Degree: Bachelor of Science – Biology

I am running for this position because:

I want to build on the momentum that this year’s Council has achieved in enriching the student experience on campus and in making significant connections within our local community.

What about your background makes you qualified for this position?:

I am currently the Student Council Vice President of Student Affairs as well as a student representative on the UNB Saint John Senate. I have been working very closely with our present VP External to organize and recruit students to participate in community service initiatives at Hazen White/St. Francis School as well as the Crescent Valley Resource Center. One of my major projects this year was the launching of a Student Mentorship Program at HW/SF school.

What do you plan to do during your term should you be elected?:
With the return of several of our present SRC executives, I look forward to building on the progress we have made this past year. Our present Council has recently launched a number of excellent initiatives such as the campus-wide recycling program, the new UNB Student Volunteer Unit and daily lunch at Colonel Tucker’s! I am very excited to maintain this momentum as we move into the next academic year.
How do you feel you can improve student morale and student involvement on campus?:
It is my intention to utilize a wide variety of communication methods to make students more aware of events and opportunities in and around our campus and to encourage them to become active participants.
How do you plan to effectively communicate the needs of the students to government or any officials you may deal with?:

In my present position as VP Student Affairs, I have been fortunate to establish a network of valuable contacts, both within the university and the greater Saint John community. In particular, I have built strong connections with UNB’s Director of Government Relations, the Communications and Marketing Department, our University President and Vice-President, the Associated Alumni, as well as New Brunswick’s Department of Post-Secondary Education. Additionally, I have established strong relationships with local community organizations such as the Crescent Valley Resource Center and Hazen White/St. Francis School. It is my intention to use these connections with faculty, staff, community leaders and politicians as vital resources to enhance the UNBSJ student experience and to build partnerships with organizations within our community.

If you could add anything to the UNBSJ Campus, what would it be?:
I am passionate about getting students involved in community service initiatives and will work hard to provide opportunities that will promote a sense of unity within our student body.
What is your favorite book?:
Dr. Seuss – Green Eggs and Ham.
Is there anything else you would like to let Baron readers know?:
Although other SRC positions have been decided by acclamation, I strongly encourage every student to cast their vote for the VP External position on February 22, 23 or 24. Simply go to your eServices account, click on the voting tab and select Leah Richardson for VP External. I very much appreciate your support and look forward to working for you in the coming year.  Thanks!